


A Show Without a Star

by shuwuichi



Category: BanG Dream! Girl's Band Party! (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/F, Slow Burn, also theres some ayahina and misakanon, chisato and kaoru aren't childhood friends in this au, very slow burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-29
Updated: 2018-10-10
Packaged: 2019-07-03 23:49:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15829428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shuwuichi/pseuds/shuwuichi
Summary: Chisato is a professional who hates acting more than anything.Kaoru is an amateur who lives and dies on the theatre stage.





	1. Act I

#### November 23rd, 20XX

\---

“Chisato-san are you alright?”

Eve’s chipper voice pierced Chisato’s ears as she was brought back down to reality. She caught herself daydreaming far more often than she liked these days.

“Y-yes. I’m fine…” Chisato answered with not much conviction.

“You say that but your poor study sheet seems to disagree.” Hina chimed in with her (rather unsolicited, Chisato thought) opinion. Though she did notice that she was gripping the paper in front of her rather tightly.

Chisato wasn’t much of a fan of these group study sessions Aya insisted that they have, for far more reasons than Chisato just prefering to study alone. Firstly, none one of them were even studying the same subjects now that they were in college. Chisato was in a business program, Aya decided to continue learning music, Eve studied literature, Maya was in an engineering course, and of course girl wonder Hina skipped a year and was learning advanced calculus. There was little overlap, Chisato thought, and therefore she could not understand the point of it all. Still, she cared about her friends dearly and it was admittedly fun to reminisce about their band days from high school. 

However now was most definitely not the time for nostalgia. Chisato had a marketing quiz in exactly two days, and with her being at the top of her class she could definitely not afford to mess up. She thought herself to be competent, but she was certainly no genius and needed to study hard to keep her grades up. It did not help that her friends insisted on being loud during their supposed study sessions. 

“You know, when I get married I want the ceremony to be held on the top of Mount Takao. There are a lot of shrines nearby I’ve heard.” Eve declared to no one in particular. Clearly she got bored after reading Shakespeare for a grand total of seven minutes. 

“E-Eve… You do realize how cold it is up there right?” Unsurprisingly it was Maya who responded, not at all bothering to cover her flushed face.

“Oh but that’s the point! I’ve lived in a cold country for most of my childhood. It would be a lie to say that I don’t miss it.” Eve answered with a bittersweet glance at the floor.

“Why did you even bring that up in the first place..?”

“I’m reading Romeo and Juliet for class and well, thinking about how they had to get married in some grimy basement just makes me sad. When I get married I want the whole world to see! I’d never wanna hide something like that.”

“Eve-chan I don’t think you understand just how difficult circumstances can be for people.” Aya spoke for the first time throughout the evening, making her presence known. 

“What do you mean?” Eve asked back with a frown. 

“Well not everyone can just proclaim all their feelings to the world, and sometimes there are things that prevent us from doing so, even if we otherwise want to.”

“Huh I don’t get you at all.” It was now Hina who spoke. “If I want something I just say so. And if I want to expose all my feelings then I do! Feelings are meant to be expressed out loud right? Or else how will others know what you want?”

“Hina you’re just shameless.”

“Ha! You reminded me of my sister just now! She always says that we’ll never be able to understand each other but I think she’s wrong. What’s there to understand? People are all the same once you get down to it.” 

“Trying to reason with you is pointless.” Aya replied with a sigh. She clearly didn’t feel like arguing with Hina any longer than she had to.

Aya sulked back down to her spot on the pink bean bag chair near the wall and picked her sheet music back up. Chisato stayed quiet throughout the conversation, but she couldn’t help but wonder which side of the argument she agreed with… Is it really worth it to just state all your feeling out in the open? Wouldn’t that just make you vulnerable? Chisato decided that she’d think about it later. 

Not long afterwards Maya, Eve, and Hina started having a bizarre conversation about some children’s show they were all fans of. In contrast Aya sat quietly with a guitar in her hands, lightly strumming and occasionally making notes on the music sheet in front of her. Chisato assumed she was composing a piece for a school project, though she had to admit that it reminded her of the time they were still in high school. A smile subconsciously made its way to her face; there is no denying that deep down she missed those days… Still, now was not the time to get sentimental. Chisato cleared her thoughts and started putting her notes away. She knew she wasn’t going to be able to get much work done if she stayed in Aya’s house, so she concluded that now was the time to excuse herself and go home. 

“Leaving already Chisato-chan?” Hina was of course the first to notice.

“Yes I apologize. I really do need to study and I don’t feel as though this is the most ideal environment.” 

“Oh okay! Good night then!” Hina said after a short pause before turning her attention back to Maya and Eve. 

Chisato thanked the Gods that Hina was not perceptive of emotions and couldn’t figure out that the noise wasn’t the only thing bothering her. So taking her opportunity, she left Aya’s house and started on her trip back to her apartment.

\---

Chisato buttoned up her coat and stepped out into the dry winter night. It was nearing December, and the cold crisp air greeted her skin instantly as she stepped outside. There was a light snowfall, and the streetlights’ reflection off the fallen snow turned the dark night sky a lovely golden color. In truth Chisato loved the winter. She admittedly would have loved it more if Kyoto received more annual snowfall, but she was content with what they had. Right now she was just glad that she had the opportunity to go to the same college as her friends. However, she felt as though something was wrong. She was forgetting something important and she didn’t know what...

The sudden bright lights coming from the bus snapped Chisato out of her thoughts, and she got in with a quick apology to the driver for stalling. She sat down with a sigh and tried to entertaining herself with her phone as the empty bus drove her home. The motion of the vehicle was tempting to lull her to sleep, but before she could close her eyes she noticed her apartment complex moving into view. She thanked the driver and jogged to her building, hoping she could get in a quick shower before bed. 

Chisato’s apartment was small but not uncomfortable; it had two bedrooms and a nice balcony, so she didn’t mind at all. She quickly organized her books and hopped into the shower, praying that the boiler had enough time to warm the water despite the unexpected drop in temperature outside. To her relief the water was lukewarm, so she knew she had at least 15 minutes before she needed to worry about the water getting cold. 

Chisato’s damp hair fell and stuck to her face as the water rushed over her, and it took her a few minutes to pick up the bottle beside her and start working the shampoo into her hair. Why was she so hesitant about everything? She found herself daydreaming and getting lost in thought far more frequently than in the past, yet she could not understand the reason for it. A thought crossed her mind at that moment, perhaps she was lonely..? She shook her head to get rid of the unpleasant feeling the thought brought with it, and unfortunately ended up getting shampoo in her eyes during the process.

“God damn it!” Chisato yelled out, trying her hardest to rinse the soap from her eyes. It seemed that the day was determined to end on a bad note. 

After conditioning her hair and finishing her shower Chisato stepped out, and instantly regretted forgetting to turn on the heater when she entered her apartment. Quickly running to do just that, she really began to question why she had become so absent minded recently. It wasn’t like her to forget things or be clumsy, so what was going on? 

Chisato decided that she would just sleep on the question. Perhaps the answer she was looking for would come to her then. She layed down and stared at her dull ceiling. Maybe she was lonely… She of course had her dear friends, but they all paired off into couples and often made her feel like a third (or in this case fifth) wheel. She knew they didn’t do it intentionally, but that didn’t make it any less unpleasant. Chisato sighed for the umpteenth time that day, and slowly fell asleep.

#### November 24th, 20XX

\---

Chisato awoke to the ringing of her phone on her bedside. She took a glace outside the window before answering; the snow had piled up overnight, covering the ground in a soft-looking blanket. The sky was a pale grey color, and she assumed that the snow would resume it’s descent sometime that day. After a few rings Chisato finally groggily got up and answered while at the same time trying to mat down her awful bedhead. 

“Hello?” Chisato answered, making sure the annoyance in her voice was audible. 

“Chisato-san!” Eve’s singsong voice echoed from the phone speaker. Chisato concluded that if there is anyone who could be so cheerful at 7:30 in the morning on a Saturday it’s her. 

“Oh Eve-chan. What’s up?” Chisato tried (and failed) to match Eve’s enthusiasm. 

“Well Maya-san and I are going to see a Shakespearean play today!”

“Hm? I’m no expert but I was under the impression that Shakespeare wrote quite a number of plays.”

“Yeah it was uhhhh. Hamlet I think?” Eve sounded unsure, which made Chisato more than a bit suspicious of the whole ordeal. 

“Was that not the play you published an essay on? How could you possibly manage to forget it?”

“Yup! But it was soooo boring! I barely remember it... I did get a great mark on my paper though.”

“Right…” This time Chisato really did sound annoyed.

“But who even cares about that? The important part is that my friend Kokoro-san is starring in it! You remember her from high school right?”

“She’s hard to forget…”

Eve giggled, “She certainly attracts attention! But does that mean you wanna join us? It’s gonna be at the ROHM Theatre today at eight later this evening!”

“Wait. Hold on a moment. Don’t you think this is a bit sudden? This is the first time I’m hearing about this.”

“Well to be honest, I originally invited Tsugumi-san to join us, but something came up so now I have this extra ticket laying around…”

“So I’m just a replacement then?”

“No no of course not Chisato-san! It’s just that it would be a waste to get rid of this ticket, especially considering how much money I spent on it. If you don’t wanna come then that’s fine too! I’ll just ask Hina instead.”

“I see… Can you give me at least until lunch to think about it?”

“Of course! Just get back to me before one.”

“Sure thing Eve-chan, I’ll text you in a bit.”

“Okay great! Bye-bye!” Eve sang into the receiver before hanging up.

Chisato fell back down onto her pillow and covered her face with her arm. She thought about going to see the performance and nearly felt sick. Chisato disliked movies, but theatrical performances she outright hated. Growing up as a trophy child actress simply to fulfil the dream that her mother couldn’t experience didn’t sit well with her at all. She forcefully quit her acting career when she was 13, much to the displeasure of her mother. She could honestly not remember the last time she talked to her mother after that, though in a way she was relieved by her mother ignoring her; at least she finally got some well deserved rest.

Chisato finally stood up after a while and stretched her arms and began her usual morning routine. She eventually sat down to read a book off her (quite impressive she would argue) bookshelf that by most accounts a college student shouldn’t be able to afford. She settled on Sherlock Holmes that morning, but just as she began turning the pages of A Study In Scarlet she was hit with a resolve. 

She quickly picked up her phone and texted Eve. 

**To: ❅Eve❅**  
**Hey about the performance tonight? Feel free to count me in**

Before Chisato had the time to regret her decision Eve responded. 

**From: ❅Eve❅**  
**great!! ill tell maya asap! ♥︎**

Chisato put down her phone and held her face in her hands for a bit. She was most likely dooming herself but at this point she couldn’t bring herself to care. Anything that could distract her for at least a few hours could be at least a bit appreciated. Suddenly feeling exhausted Chisato leaned back in her couch and decided to take a nap, something told her that she’d need it…

Chisato awoke once more and sprang up in fear once she saw how dark it had become outside. The clock on her oven showed her that it was 7pm, meaning that she had only an hour to get dressed and bus her way over to the theatre. 

“Alright, I can do this. I’ve been in worse situations.” Chisato muttered to herself.

She quickly threw on a pale yellow dress and a set of pearl earrings and necklace. Deciding to do her makeup on the bus Chisato pulled her hair back in a bun and ran outside her apartment while trying to button up her coat. The bus ride was shorter than expected, and even though the motion of the bus caused her to completely mess up her eyeliner she managed to arrive at exactly 7:50pm. 

**From: ❅Eve❅**  
**chisato-san are you coming?**

**To: ❅Eve❅**  
**Yes I just got off the bus! I’ll meet you two inside!**

Chisato ran into the impressive-looking theatre lobby, taking note of how the light from the chandelier reflected off the large windows and seemed to almost dance on the walls. She eventually spotted Eve and Maya standing by the reception desk as they waved her over. Eve was dressed in a beautiful violet dress that was adorned with silver lining, while Maya wore a simple short sleeve blouse and a pair of dark green suit pants. Chisato felt slightly underdressed in comparison, but they were going to be sitting in a darkened theatre hall anyway so she hoped that it wouldn’t matter. 

“Chisato-san! I’m so glad you made it!” Eve sang out.

“I almost didn’t… I am excited to see Kokoro-chan’s performance if nothing else.” 

“Oh it’s so exciting! Kokoro-san told me we can meet her cast after the play!”

“Speaking of which, what role is Tsurumaki-san even taking on?” Maya piped in.

“I believe she’s Horatio in this performance!”

“Oh? Then who’s going to be Hamlet?” Chisato asked.

“That… I don’t know.” Eve looked down in thought. 

“Well we aren’t going to find out by standing around here. The show starts in about 10 minutes. We should get inside.” Maya noted, handing Chisato her ticket. 

The three of them walked into the theatre hall and Chisato stared in awe at the stage before her. Their seats were in row 35 and Chisato tore her gaze away from the gorgeous set to move down the small steps. The hall was huge, with at least 70 rows of seats and four additional boxes above the stage. The seats were a dark red color, illuminated by the studio lights shining down. The stage itself was huge, with a wooden floor and a red curtain hanging half open above the stage. Even so Chisato could see a bit of the set, noting that there was some expensive looking furniture made of what looked like mahogany. Chisato concluded that the first scene probably took place inside a castle or mansion of some sort, though there was not much reason to speculate since she would find out soon enough. 

Maya and Eve were having a conversation about nothing in particular beside her, and Chisato checked her phone as more people entered the hall. Eventually the majority of the seats were filled, and the lights slowly began to dim. As everyone became quiet, a spotlight shone on the stage, and the curtain fully rose to reveal the main actors in the production. In the middle Chisato instantly noticed Kokoro, her long blonde hair seemingly shimmering in the light. She was wearing long purple robes and was dressed like some European noble from the 14th century. Beside her was a woman she didn’t recognize; her hair was long and a pale blue color, and she was wearing a long puffy gown. She also noticed two young women standing a bit further in the back. One had long black hair and the other had short orange hair; both were dressed in all white. Finally Chisato took notice of a young woman who she thought looked familiar; she was dressed in black robes and her violet hair was tied back. She seemed to exude confidence and charisma, which admittedly annoyed Chisato. Still, she didn’t think it was fair to critique someone without actually meeting them first, so Chisato withheld any more judgements and decided to simply enjoy the show. 

The five young women bowed and the curtain fell once more. When it rose Chisato saw that the scene seemed to be taking place in the courtyard of a castle based on the painted background and props that were strewn around the set. She also took notice that only the two women dressed in white remained in the scene. 

“Who’s there?” Began the woman with the black hair.

“Nay, answer me. Stand and unfold yourself!” The ginger girl answered. 

“Long live the king!”

“Barnardo? You come most carefully upon your hour.”

“'Tis now struck twelve. Get thee to bed, Francisco.”

“For this relief much thanks. 'Tis bitter cold.” The ginger girl answered, shaking to imitate being cold.

Chisato’s eyes slowly began to glaze over as the scene continued. She was never a fan of old plays, especially ones where half the dialogue didn’t make any sense. Still, she knew she would disappoint Eve if she fell asleep. After she forced her weary eyes open her attention went back to the play, and much to her annoyance the woman with the purple hair and black robes was in the role of Hamlet. 

“Hail to your lordship.” Kokoro said with an exaggerated bow.

“I am glad to see you well. Horatio? Or I do forget myself?” The woman dressed in black moved and spoke with far too much energy than necessary, making her acting seem rather amateurish. Chisato couldn’t help but let out a small giggle. 

“The same, my lord, and your poor servant ever.” Kokoro replied; the difference in their acting abilities made Chisato wonder why Kokoro wasn’t chosen to play Hamlet. 

“Sir, my good friend, I’ll change that name with you. And what make you from Wittenberg, Horatio?”

“A truant disposition, good my lord.”

Chisato tuned out the ridiculous acting and began to stare off into space again. She couldn’t help but feel a slight pain in her chest. Being reminded of her acting days as a child wasn’t pleasant, and the idea of someone being able to act on a stage and genuinely enjoy it left her both bewildered and jealous. She eventually felt her eyes close, and at that point there was not much she could do to prevent herself from falling asleep. It wasn’t comfortable, but it was better than having to watch a play she neither understood nor cared about.

\---

Chisato awoke when Eve began shaking her shoulder. Chisato opened her eyes with a slight start and looked back at Eve.

“Ah Eve-chan… I’m so sorry I just didn’t sleep at all last night.” Chisato lied.

“It’s fine I understand! Maya and I were just about to go visit Kokoro and the others backstage, so I was wondering if you wanted to come.”

“Oh um. That’d be great thank you. I haven’t spoken to Kokoro-chan in a while so I guess now is a good time for a reunion.” 

Eve and Maya stood up and Chisato followed after them. They walked back into the main hall and then turned into a door leading downstairs. The three of them eventually made their way to what Chisato assumed to be the main preparation room for the actors, and her suspicions were confirmed when Eve opened the door. The room was large but a bit cluttered, with costumes and props hastily thrown on the chairs and tables in the room. The girl with the black hair was sitting on a couch at the back of the room talking to the girl in the puffy gown. Kokoro and the ginger girl were chatting in the centre of the room. Chisato noted that the eccentric woman in the black robes wasn’t there, much to her relief. Kokoro noticed the three of them walk in and instantly gave them a huge smile.

“Eve! Maya! Chisato! It’s been a while!!” She beamed at them.

“Kokoro-san I missed you! Your show was great!” Eve smiled back at her and stretched out her arms. Kokoro gladly ran into them and gave her a long hug. 

“Kokoro-chan I never thought you’d take up acting. Especially becoming a theatre performer of all things.” Chisato said, hoping her discomfort wasn’t apparent. 

“Oh yeah I took a class on performing arts at the beginning of college and I’ve been in love ever since!” Kokoro gentilly untangled her arms from Eve and gestured to the other actors in the room, “Let me introduce you to my friends!”

“I’m Hagumi Kitazawa! Nice to meet you!” The ginger girl cheerfully introduced herself with a smile.

“Uh I’m Misaki Okusawa… But people also call me Michelle. Either name is fine.” The woman with the black hair let out. She then looked a bit nervously to the girl beside her, “Oh and this is Kanon Matsubara. She’s a bit shy I’m sorry…”

“No need to apologize!” Eve exclaimed. She quickly ran up to Kanon and clutched her hands in her own.

Poor Kanon was clearly startled by the gesture and let out a quiet yelp, but didn’t pull away. 

“I-it’s nice to m-meet you… Kokoro-chan has told me a-about you…”

“That’s great! You can just call me Eve then!” Eve let go of her hands and pointed to Maya and Chisato, “That’s my girlfriend Maya and beside her is my friend Chisato!” 

“O-oh!” Kanon widened her eyes upon seeing Chisato, “Weren’t you Emi from The Midnight Ticket? I loved that show when I was a kid!” Kanon said in a tone louder than she probably intended. 

“I was indeed... I can’t believe I’m still recognizable after all that time.” Chisato answered back as politely as possible. 

“I loved your character! Emi’s growth over time and her relationship with Akira even after he left moved me to tears! And the part where Emi lost her journal and it turned out tha-”

Kanon was suddenly cut off by the door to the room swinging open, and in walked the woman in the black robes. Now that Chisato could see her up close she was somewhat taken aback. The woman was beautiful to say the least, and it annoyed Chisato to no end. Her hair was dark purple and tied back in a bun. She was tall and lean, to the point where Chisato had to slightly strain her neck to see her face. Her eyes were bright red and she seemed to have a look of smug satisfaction. 

Chisato didn’t like her at all. 

“My beloved Kanon I apologize for interrupting your speech. Do not fret! My heart will forever be in your debt!” The woman bowed towards Kanon and then turned her attention to Kokoro. 

“And who may these lovely ladies that you’ve graced my presence with be?” 

Kokoro beamed and hooked her arm around Eve, “These are my friends from high school!” She looked at Eve as though giving her a signal to introduce herself.

“I’m Eve Wakamiya! Nice to meet you!”

“The pleasure is all mine, my dear kitten” The woman answered back. Before she could flirt anymore Maya chimed in.

“A-and I’m Maya Yamato… I’m Eve’s girlfriend.” 

The woman looked a bit surprised for a second, but then nodded and smiled at her.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you as well.” 

Chisato figured that it was her turn for introductions, so she turned to the woman and began talking in the most snobbish voice she could muster. 

“Chisato Shirasagi. And who might you be?” 

The woman appeared to not be effected by Chisato’s rude manners in the slightest. 

“You’re rather feisty… A vixen with a cold exterior but a heart of gold. That’s how it usually plays out.”

Chisato raised her eyebrow.

“You still haven’t told me your name.”

“Oh but what’s in a name? A name, a title, a label by which we identify others! But is a name so simple? Can something so personal be reduced to a few syllables? In truth I have many names. Many titles. All of which mean radically different things to different people. But who am I to you my love?”

“An annoyance.”

Misaki sighed behind them, “Her name is Kaoru Seta. Don’t mind her she’s just a bit… eccentric.”

Kaoru lidded her eyes and used her long fingers to push her hair back. 

“There’s nothing wrong with eccentricity. It makes for good theatrics.”

At this Chisato let out a small laugh, “You’re not completely wrong, but as a former actress I found your performance quite lacking.” 

Kaoru gave her a surprised look and Chisato congratulated herself for throwing her off guard. 

“Well Shirasagi-san, perhaps you could take me under your wing and give me a few pointers? Seeing as you’re a professional and all.”

Chisato couldn’t tell if that last point was meant to be sarcastic.

“I don’t mind at all if you happen to be interested!” Chisato put on her most fictitious smile and took out a notebook to scribble in her name and phone number, “Call me.” Chisato tried to sound confident as she handed the note over to the taller woman and exited the room with long strides. 

Chisato hurried to leave the theatre as quickly as possible, making sure not to trip over her heels on the way out. She was logical and deliberate right? So why did the reality of what she had done only dawn on her now? She had just essentially invited some random woman into her life without a single thought.

“God I’m such an idiot.” Chisato murmured to herself. 

She was standing outside waiting for her bus to arrive, and the cold wind prickled at her skin relentlessly. She only felt a wave of relief rush over her when she was the bright headlights of the bus come into view, which meant that Eve and Maya wouldn’t be able to catch up to her and stop her from leaving. 

Once again the allegedly calm and collected Chisato ran away from her problems.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know we lesbians have non existent attention spans but please bear with me! 
> 
> I really wanna explore how chisato and kaoru are different in the ways they perceive things like show business and exposing your feelings (as well as kaorus fake persona and why she uses it to hide her true feelings and fears). basically they're both disaster lesbians and this fic is them trying to work out their deeply-rooted issues while accidentally falling in love


	2. Act II

#### November 25th, 20XX

#### 

\---

Chisato awoke to the sound of her phone buzzing on the counter; the familiar soft pings told her that someone had been texting her. She decided to ignore the messages and rolled over to stare out her bedroom window. The snow had piled up quite a bit over night, and Chisato could barely see anything below it. She was certain that if she were to turn on the radio she’d hear plenty of news about accidents that happened over night, or about how most facilities aren’t going to be operational for the next little while. It’s not like it really mattered to her anyway. 

Eventually the unpleasant taste in her mouth forced Chisato to get up and go brush her teeth. It was Sunday which meant that she’d need to finish up any homework she hadn’t done yet and catch up on her studying. After boiling some tea she sat down with her notes and started working away on her marketing homework. 

The incessant buzzing of her phone made it hard to concentrate. 

Chisato dropped her pen and decided to pick up her phone; it was most likely Eve texting her to make sure she was okay after disappearing so suddenly the night before. Chisato mentally slapped herself for making Eve worry about her. It had certainly been rude of her to just leave without even a warning, but what else could she have done? Stay longer to embarrass herself further? After convincing herself that she did nothing wrong she looked back down at her phone. 

**From: ❅Eve❅**  
**chisato-san are you okay??? you ran off so suddenly last night. did you make it back? :(**

Before Chisato could reply to reassure Eve that she was fine, she noticed that she had a second message from a number she didn’t recognize.

**From: 080-XXXX-XXXX**  
**Shirasagi-san? My beloved kitten you left in such a rush on the night of our fateful meeting! Like a noble prince searching for her lost love I must make sure you are faring well.**

Chisato instantly regretted giving Miss Romeo her phone number.

**To: ❅Eve❅**  
**I’m fine. I’m so sorry for worrying you. I just got a little overwhelmed.**

**From: ❅Eve❅**  
**oh im glad!!! stay safe ♥︎♥︎♥︎♥︎**

Chisato smiled at her phone, if there was anyone who could cheer her up regardless of the circumstances it was Eve. She was so radiant and positive that Chisato couldn’t help but smile when she was around. She wasn’t embarrassed to admit she had a crush on her when they were still in high school, in fact she was pretty sure every member of Pastel*Palettes had a crush on Eve at some point. She shone brighter than any star and she knew that Maya especially loved her more than anything. She often wondered if she was jealous of their relationship; the way they looked at each other with pure and unconditional love could move the heart of even the most jaded person. However something like that was just unrealistic for Chisato. She thought herself far too negative and uncaring for something as idealistic as love. Most people wear masks to hide their true feelings, and those masks are often impossible to break. How is it possible to love a person who isn’t willing to show you their true face? Those who fear others wear personas, and in the end it means that only fools can love unconditionally. 

Chisato’s attention went back to the message Kaoru sent her, and after a few seconds of consideration she decided to reply as bluntly as she could muster. 

**To: Kaoru**  
**1\. If you want this to work no pet names**  
**2\. Message me for business inquires only. I did not give you my number so you can flirt with me.**

Proud of her work Chisato hit the send button and put her phone down. She couldn’t afford to waste time when she had to be studying. 

To her dismay the phone made a soft ping sound barely a minute later.

**From: Kaoru**  
**Oh my how harsh! Well I suppose I could try to tone down my adoration for women, but only for your sake ;)**

**To: Kaoru**  
**No winky faces either.**

**From: Kaoru**  
**Stingy are we? Well I don’t mind. Those acting lessons do sound lovely if you still feel generous enough to aid me.**

**To: Kaoru**  
**Sure. Come over tomorrow at 4pm and I’ll help you work on your... faults. My address is XXX XXXXXXX apartment #2.**

**From: Kaoru**  
**We shall rendezvous then my lovely Chisato!**

At that Chisato decided she had enough and turned off her phone. She was most likely making an awful mistake by not only teaching this woman she barely knew about something she hated, but also letting her into her house with no consideration for how the situation could play out. Still, Chisato wasn’t a mean person, and Kaoru genuinely did need some lessons. Helping others is a good thing to do, and as payment she could probably get Kaoru to take her out to a cafe and pay for everything. It’s really not a big deal...

“Famous last words.” Chisato laughed to herself and picked her pen back up. She wasn’t going to get anywhere by worrying about something so trivial, and besides, her homework wouldn’t finish itself. 

#### November 26th, 20XX

#### 

\---

Chisato was not a morning person by any stretch of the imagination, regardless of how hard she tried to convince herself otherwise. The ringing of her alarm made her head hurt, and only when she realized that it was a school day did she spring up in fear. She looked at the time and cursed to herself: 7am. She had exactly half an hour before her first class, and the train took 20 minutes to get to her college. With a quick hop she got up and ran to wash her face and get dressed. Her hair was far too long to try and fix in only ten minutes, so she threw it into a half-messy bun and grabbed her coat before running out the door. 

The day started on a bad note and it seemed to only get worse from there. Chisato was late to class due to her train getting delayed, her parents forgot to transfer money over to her and she wasn’t able to pay for her lunch, and worst of all she found out she dropped to only having the second best grade in her class. What would she do if she didn’t finish at the top of her class? Chisato mentally beat herself up over it and cursed under her breath; she really was no longer in the mood to give someone acting lessons. Still, it’s not like she could back out now.

When Chisato got home she redid her rushed morning makeup to look somewhat presentable. She then let her hair down and changed into a loose white dress. 

“Maybe a long skirt would be better?” She asked herself. She was definitely overthinking this. Just then she heard a ring at her door, and she hurried out to answer it. 

Chisato previously thought that she over thought her appearance, but seeing Kaoru reassured her that that was not the case. Kaoru was dressed in expensive looking suit pants and a white blouse. She also had a bunch of garish jewelry on and her hair was tied up with a silver hair brooch that looked far too heavy to be comfortable. Chisato realized that she was staring and turned away. 

“Come in, I’ll put on some tea.” Chisato called back while disappearing into the kitchen. 

She heard Kaoru close and door and step into the living room. After turning on the kettle Chisato headed back and noticed Kaoru examining an old picture. 

“How old were you here?” Kaoru asked. Chisato was surprised she didn’t add any purple prose. 

Chisato took a look at the picture, “I was around 13. This is when I got cast in Life Of April. The man on the right was the director.”

Kaoru smiled and put down the picture, “You really haven’t changed a bit, even your hair looks the same.”

“Is this your attempt at teasing me?”

Kaoru laughed this time, “Oh of course not my kitten, I’m simply surprised at how little you’ve changed over the years.” 

Chisato sighed and went back to the kitchen to get their tea. She had cute little porcelain cups with yellow polka dots, and she carefully carried them to the living room where Kaoru was now sitting on the couch examining the book on the counter.

“Sherlock Holmes? Never thought you’d be the type for mysteries.” Kaoru began when Chisato sat down beside her.

“Well you thought wrong. Just like how I thought you’d be a fantastic Shakespearean actress based on your appearance. I was clearly mistaken.”

“Oh how you’ve wounded me my darling!” Kaoru put her hand over her heart and dramatically fell back on the couch. Chisato couldn’t help but let out a small giggle at the display. 

Kaoru then sat up and frowned at Chisato, “Oh dear your lipstick got a bit smudged…”

Kaoru lifted Chisato’s chin slightly and used her thumb to wipe away the lipstick stain beside her mouth. Kaoru then paused, and her hand lingered on Chisato’s face for a bit. Chisato took notice of how beautifully Kaoru’s hair framed her face, with some strands falling right past her chin and curving slightly up. She also noticed how soft Kaoru’s hand felt, and how Kaoru seemed to keep the top two buttons of her blouse open, and…

Kaoru suddenly pulled her hand back and looked away from Chisato, clearly trying to hide her face. 

“Oh I’m… I’m sorry for that I just…” 

Chisato blinked a few times and was at a loss as to how to answer. 

“You know…” Chisato began, “It’s nice to see you act so sincere.”

“What do you mean.” Kaoru turned to Chisato and frowned a bit. 

“You just… You know what nevermind. I should uh, begin helping you with your acting. That’s what you came here to do in the first place right?” Chisato stood up and put her hands on her hips. 

“Oh yes of course! My dear you offering to help me was nothing less than a blessing. This entire situation, how fleeting…” Kaoru stood up as well and pushed her hair back.

“Fleeting? These lessons aren’t going to be that short you know. You have a lot of things you need to work on.”

Kaoru gave her a blank look and Chisato realized that she probably had no idea what the word actually meant. She let out an annoyed sigh and walked to the centre of her living room. 

“The first thing we’re going to start with is body language; how you are able to get across an intended emotion or action without words.” 

Chisato made her stance more sturdy and creased her face, “What kind of emotion am I giving off now?” 

Kaoru looked at her in confusion, “My dear Chisato I do not believe I am such an amateur that I need-”

“Just answer the question.” 

Kaoru seemed to be taken aback at Chisato’s forceful manner, “You appear to be angry.”

“What else?”

“Annoyed.”

At that Chisato smiled, “And look at me; managing to get that across without stomping my foot and outright saying that I’m annoyed. The golden rule of theatrics is show, don’t tell.”

Kaoru looked like she was about to interject but Chisato continued. 

“You see Kaoru, your problem is that you overact. If I asked you to stand in my place and act annoyed you’d probably begin scowling and hitting your heel against the floor. You don’t know what moderation is.” 

Kaoru looked at the ground for a moment before speaking, “You’re right. You’re completely right.” She then looked up, “Please teach me how to improve.”

Kaoru gave a soft smile, probably the most sincere once Chisato had seen from her thus far. The setting sun in the window behind her made the loose strands of her hair glow, and Chisato was once again in awe of how beautiful Kaoru was behind her dramaticized mask. However that mask… What was Kaoru like underneath it? She wasn’t a hypocrite, she knew well enough that she wore a mask too. Everyone did. No one ever wants to expose their true self out of fear of being hurt. Kaoru though… She seemed to take that concept to its most logical conclusion. Usually you can see cracks in a person’s mask; bits and pieces of their true personality, but Kaoru was an enigma to Chisato. Kaoru barely allowed her true self to be shown before instantly hiding it again.

In that moment Chisato decided that she wanted to, more than anything, break down her mask and meet the real Kaoru Seta.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to make these chapters shorter bc school is kicking my ass rn and its a lot easier to write 2-3k words instead of almost 5k. also I need some structure so ill probably update this fic once a week now that I've actually thought about it and figured out where I want it to go. this is turning into more of a character study than romance but basically my thoughts are that chisato and kaoru are both very very fake and hide their true emotions due to deeply rooted issues (kaoru being actually kinda insecure and chisato not really knowing how to show her emotions in the first place). also I rly liked my idea of chisato not being happy as a child actress and I wanna explore that too (hopefully without being ooc ahjbdhjs)


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